Scythe: The Cost of Love and War

There is a game you absolutely love and cherish. You want to see it in top form, so their first impressions will blow the minds of your friends and family. Even though the game looks smashing with its natural pieces and in vanilla scent, superficially you feel dressing it up may help break the initial awkwardness. Scythe from Stonemaier Games is that game for me.

Recently, nervously, I had shown Scythe off to four friends and awaited judgment. This was the largest group I had introduced her to. Did I really need their approval when there is an Atoma mode? In a small way, yes, to validate the love. I am happy experimenting with solo plays in my basement game room. My friends' enthusiasm always helps me believe that I have good gaming tastes, and that my love for Scythe is not delusional.

Scythe's beautiful art by Jakub Różalskiart is haunting and striking, portraying her inner complexities of what is to become of the evening. Several gigantic mechs billowing bleak smoke converging for a fight over farmland of a distant alterative past as peasants watch. She is not a delicate flower, or just a one-night stand. She has an inner fire disguised in earth tones looking to the stars to make peace. With her, you strive to gain achievements and with it comes the wealth to win her heart.

Foamboard, hot glue, pins, plans off BGG, and an evening of time creates an insert that helps peel back the layers and quickens the setup. Introductions are quick as friends explore their faction boxes and we dive deeper into her personality. Everyone gets two boxes: one with tactile wooden tokens and one with sexy plastic steam-powered mechs and leaders.

The figures are nicely detailed when first brought home, but stand naked in an unifying color; the yellow team is yellow as the blue team is blue, etcetera. With several hours of painting on a few casual dates, the foundation is set and adds to the emergence of world building. Scythe's flirting, suggestive looks continued to push my friends through the instructions and tease with how compatible they are with her after a few rounds.

Now rich in color, Scythe looks for accessories to match her high esteem. A three-way enhancement to entice more of our senses. Metal coins provide sound and touch, real looking resources that visually pop, and 3D printed event tokens that break up the map’s surface to let everyone know where to go for a pleasurable encounter.

To accommodate the new pieces, providing there’s a king-sized table, you can flip the standard game board over and add an extension. This larger social version of her reaches everyone’s place for easy mingling.

Even before the introductions, I had visions of living with Scythe for a long time even if others didn’t appreciate the relationship at first. That future involved all the promotional cards for a robust variety and additional combat dials because who wants to share combat dials? Just for the hell of it, you gather the $2 and $50 metal coins for the nights out.

Expansions like Invaders from Afar and The Wind Gambit ups the player count, gives you a romantic flight above the landscape, and new ways to spark what is there. It also sends you painting several hours with two new factions and several airships.

The other expansion, Rise of Fenris, allows for an eight-story campaign and brings you back to a mystery of discovery. This is why Scythe's presence with my friends means a lot, as I want to bring them into how-awesome-was-that chatter as we go blindly down that new road. The beauty of fighting each other for the unknown goals. Will it be lost in solo mode as you carry the game against a deck of cards?

There are a few more official things to compliment Scythe with: a complete rule book, a bigger box to store everything, a modular board, and painted worker meeples. The complete rulebook with reorganized rules could be our grand photo album. The modular board adds new cards and has some easter egg artwork that would be fun. The rest may fall into the unnecessary.

I think back to the early dates of just me and Scythe. How I spent hours reading the rulebook in bed as I stared at the pictures, then watched how-to-play videos in bed, and then watched how-to-play solo videos in bed. I drift off dreaming of meaningful strategies and the fun of what might come while downloading an Atoma app to make solo play faster.

There are great digital editions of Scythe featured for app and Steam. When you cannot get to your physical copy or friends, the AI does a nice simulation creating the presence of others. There an option for playing with painted miniatures and why wouldn’t you? Scythe’s beauty also resides in the intelligence of gameplay and strategies that come with balancing resources, military, and popularity. These video games versions help to strengthen the connection of its parts to its whole.

Across the web, you can find unique gems passionately designed by fans to decorate Scythe. If you have access to a 3D printer, these admirers have created pieces to replace the wooden tokens and have transformed the structures into actual building miniatures. All of these turn your lovely game into a unique sight for others to behold. Through online groups you can see how the love and enthusiasm differ to yours, including those who just like the vanilla look.

To have backed the game off Kickstarter could have reduced the costs, but all I saw was just another pretty board game in waiting. Sure, there was a video trailer among other preview videos, but others have lied before on how much they would appeal to me. Luckily, I was able to hook up with Scythe at the local library, check her out, and strike a connection which still goes strong. I knew I needed a copy in my game room to complete me. She even had me thinking how fun My Little Scythe might be. My friends enjoyed Scythe’s company and look forward to seeing her again. In the end, it does not matter where the money or time went when you are in it for the long run.